Ema Smith racked up four points, six boards, three steals and three blocks in a road win Tuesday night. (John Fisken photo)
CHS coach Amy King (center) gives her troops their marching orders. (David King photo)
Hannah Davidson’s swan song was a gem.
Playing in her final game as a Wolf before a move to California, the Coupeville High School freshman powered her JV girls’ basketball squad to a huge road win Tuesday night.
Davidson dropped in 10 points, snatched 15 rebounds, rejected a pair of shots and capped things by crashing hard to the floor in pursuit of a loose ball in the final seconds of a 26-17 victory against host Klahowya.
“Hannah gave her teammates every thing she had,” CHS coach Amy King said. “A lot of great memories.”
The win, Coupeville’s third straight, lifts the Wolves to 3-1 overall, 1-0 in 1A Olympic League play.
To get there, CHS had to overcome a long trip to Silverdale, a late start (the JV played second) and a shorter roster than normal.
Maya Toomey-Stout and Brittany Powers were out, while Nicole Lester is fighting through a hurt ankle.
But, after a very slow start — Coupeville trailed 4-1 after a less-than-explosive first quarter — the Wolves found their groove and brought the Eagles crashing down.
An 11-2 advantage in the second quarter gave CHS the lead, while an 11-6 Wolf run in the third sealed Klahowya’s fate.
“We started off very slow. They got shots off, we got a little lost and just slower feet than normal,” King said. “Second quarter hit and things changed.”
Scout Smith finally broke the seal on the hoop late in the first, notching a free throw, then the fireworks exploded during the next eight minutes.
Employing their “Powerhouse Group” of big bangers Davidson, Ema Smith and swing player Sarah Wright, the Wolves “really riled things up.”
“Between the three, we got a much needed boost,” King said. “The defense was more dynamic and louder, the offense moved better and we were able to hit the posts on some great passes.”
Ashlie Shank and Maddy Hilkey joined the trio on the floor, and that lineup, which switched from a zone defense to man-to-man, lit up the scoreboard.
“It was the magical change,” King said. “We had a lot more shots go up, they got less rebounds – on the press break, we moved the ball up the floor much better and controlled.”
The game also became much more physical, on both sides of the ball, but especially on Klahowya’s.
“This quarter became the first of high fouls,” King said. “We were getting hit, hugged, knocked down and arms slapped while shooting.
“At one point, Hannah had a Klahowya defender around her neck,” she added. “Hannah, Ema and Sarah seemed to have a contest going to see who could get the most free throws as we shot 15 in that quarter alone.”
Coupeville responded by clamping down on defense, with Tia Wurzrainer and Emma Mathusek stepping in to put considerable pressure on the Eagle ball-handlers.
With three Klahowya players fouling out in the fourth quarter and the clock ticking down (Coupeville had to leave by 7 PM to catch a ferry), the final stages of the game “seemed to take forever.”
“Time just slowed down,” King said. “That being said, we’re extremely happy for the win.”
Davidson paced the Wolves with a game-high 10 points, while Wright knocked down six and Ema Smith swished four.
Scout Smith (3), Avalon Renninger (2) and Lester (1) rounded out the scorers.
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